@SamChampion: D.C. could have almost 2 feet of snow by Saturday, Philadelphia almost a foot; Roanoke will also have close to a foot of snow

New Yorker out Monday: “Reporter at Large — The Trial: Eric Holder and the Battle Over Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” by Jane Mayer: Attorney General “Holder, despite the controversy he has inspired, has not actually pushed for radical change. Indeed, critics in left-leaning legal circles have complained that he has kept too many of George W. Bush’s counterterrorism policies in place. … Holder told me that he was frustrated by much of the criticism over the handling of [underbomber] Abdulmutallab. ‘What we did is totally consistent with what has happened in every similar case’ since 9/11, he said. … Without exception, he noted, every previous terrorist suspect apprehended inside the country had been handled as a civilian criminal. … As a senior national-security official in the White House put it, ‘It’s a fantasy! Under what alternative legal system can Special Operations Forces fly into Detroit, and take someone away without court oversight?’”

Good Friday morning. Pool report from Jonathan Collegio, at Shoppers Food Warehouse in Falls Church, Va.: “it's like Krakow in 1982 after the commies crushed the strike — bare shelves, chaos, no milk. Interestingly, there's also been a run on Jell-O pudding cups.”

“Congress passes record debt hike,” by POLITICO’s David Rogers: “Congress approved a record $1.9 trillion debt ceiling increase Thursday together with Democratic-backed legislation to reinstate ‘pay-go’ rules credited with helping to rein in deficits in the 1990s. … With new unemployment numbers out Friday, Democrats now can afford to turn their full attention back to the economy without fear of Republicans bleeding them to death with more painful debt votes before the November elections. By adding statutory pay-go rules, the leadership also hopes to have found a new message — and budget compass — by which to steer in the sea of red ink facing them and President Barack Obama. … Weeks of negotiations … preceded Thursday’s twin votes. On the first, Democrats narrowly prevailed 217-212 despite 37 defections. On the second … the Democratic lines held, and a proud Hoyer announced the outcome from the speaker’s chair: 233-187.”

NYT A1, “Markets Routed as Worry Goes on Europe Debt,” by Javier C. Hernandez and Jack Ewing: “Just as America’s recession begins to ebb, trouble is brewing in Europe that may prolong a downturn on the Continent and ricochet through the global economy as it struggles toward a recovery. A rout in stock markets that began in Europe spread to Wall Street on Thursday and around the globe to Asia on Friday, amid fears that Europe may be the world’s next financial flashpoint. Pressure has been mounting across the Atlantic as Greece, Portugal and a handful of struggling countries that use the euro scramble to pay off mountains of debt accumulated from years of profligate spending.”

L.A. Times lead story, “Prius’ woes not limited to brakes: Reports of light failure on the Toyota hybrid cast new suspicion on electronic controls.” Jay Leno: “Have you heard their new slogan, ‘Toyota, just try and stop us!’?”

EXCLUSIVE, to be announced today: “Nicolle Wallace, White House communications director under President George W. Bush, has signed a deal with Atria Books [an imprint of Simon & Schuster] to publish her first novel, ‘Eighteen Acres’ … in October 2010. ‘Eighteen Acres,’ a description used by political insiders when referring to the White House complex, follows the first female president of the United States, Charlotte Kramer, and her staff as they take on dangerous threats from abroad and within her very own Cabinet. Wallace is a political strategist and commentator [and] served as a senior campaign adviser for John McCain and Sarah Palin.” Emily Bestler, Atria vice president and executive editorial director: “Backroom dealing, scandalous activity, drama and deception … you name it, you’ll find it in the pages of 'Eighteen Acres.'”

** A message from the Catfish Farmers of America: Congress voted more than 20 months ago to provide greater protections for American consumers by moving inspection of ALL catfish — imported and domestic — from FDA to USDA, with its tougher safety standards. We’re still waiting. **

TOP TALKER: Illinois Dem fracas — Chicago Tribune banner, “‘I have no intention of stepping down’ — Lt. Gov. nominee digs in amid new revelations: Quinn wins nomination as running mate faces new questions about child support payments, steroid use and the alleged choking of ex-wife,” by David Heinzmann, John Chase and Monique Garcia: “Gov. Pat Quinn finally won the Democratic governor nomination Thursday, only to find himself trying to dump a running mate who has been accused of abusing women, failing to pay child support and spending lavishly on extramarital affairs. While Quinn suggested that Scott Lee Cohen drop out for the good of the Democratic Party, the pawnbroker and political neophyte vowed to continue as a lieutenant governor candidate after voters nominated him Tuesday. ‘My honesty and integrity in putting it out there is the best thing that could happen to the party,’ Cohen told the Tribune. His ex-wife, Debra York-Cohen, appeared with him Thursday as part of a media blitz aimed at repairing his image. York-Cohen said she stood by allegations she made during the couple’s divorce, but that Cohen’s bad behavior took place when he was using steroids. ‘It was a short period of time, and it’s certainly not something that the people of Illinois need to be con-cerned with,’ York-Cohen said.

“But new disclosures showed that even as Cohen was spending more than $2 million of his own money to run TV and radio ads for his campaign, his ex-wife in December was accusing him in court of being $54,000 behind in child support payments. Cohen and his ex-wife declined to discuss the ongoing case. The latest details came after the Tribune reported Wednesday that police and court records from an October 2005 incident show that Cohen’s then-girlfriend alleged he put a knife to her throat and pushed her head against a wall. Public records show that the woman, his 24-year-old girlfriend at the time, pleaded guilty to prostitution that same month. The misdemeanor charges against Cohen were later dropped when the woman did not show up for court. Cohen also denied allega¬tions he physically assaulted her and used a knife. Cohen said Thursday he didn’t know the woman was a prostitute and met her when he got a ‘straight massage’ at the Eden Spa. But a Glenview police report indicates his ex-girlfriend freely told an undercover officer posing as a massage customer that women there performed sex acts for money.”

THE BIG IDEA — “Dems Grouse as Obama Tacks to Center,” by POLITICO’s Eamon Javers and Victoria McGrane: “President Barack Obama is running into resistance from congressional Democrats over several key economic proposals — blunting the party’s ability to send a clear message to middle-class voters that Democrats feel their pain. Obama has run into friction from fellow Democrats over plans to freeze some federal spending, to use bailout funds for small-business lending and to limit the reach of big banks. And Obama’s call for a jobs bill left Senate leaders pledging a vote as early as Monday — but offering no details of what a measure might include or how much it would cost. … White House aides insist that the Democratic pushback on Obama’s ideas is just a normal part of legislating and that Obama is likely to get much of what he wants in the end because of the Democrats’ sizable congressional majorities. … Obama said in his State of the Union address that he supports a freeze in nondefense, nonsecurity discretionary spending. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she disagreed with the president and that any freeze should also apply to the military. …

“Obama has proposed a so-called ‘Volcker rule’ that would restrict investment banking firms from trading in their own … accounts. The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Chris Dodd, is supportive of the idea but complained this week that the White House appeared too political in rolling out the idea so soon after the Massachusetts special election defeat. He said it could complicate his efforts to pass a sweeping regulatory reform measure that Obama has said is a top priority. And Obama has been pushing for — and the House has passed — a $100 billion-plus jobs bill. But Senate Democrats say that they would rather pass a series of small bills throughout the year. … Dodd … lectured Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin earlier this week that the White House was too transparently political in announcing its proposed new restrictions on banks’ high-risk trading activities … ‘I make recommendations and so forth as to how to do this stuff, and then it falls on deaf ears,’ Dodd grumbled. Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln ran down a long list of criticisms Tuesday when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testified about the budget before the Senate Finance Committee.”

“Franken Lays Into Ax Over Health Bill,” by POLITICO’s Andy Barr and Manu Raju: “Sen. Al Franken ripped into White House senior adviser David Axelrod this week during a tense, closed-door session with Senate Democrats. … Franken criticized Axelrod for the administration’s failure to provide clarity or direction on health care and the other big bills. … ‘There was a lot of frustration in there,’ said a Democratic senator who declined to be identified. … Democratic senators are frustrated that the White House hasn’t done more to win over the public on health care reform and other aspects of its ambitious agenda — and angry that … the White House hasn’t done more to chart a course for getting a health care bill to the president’s desk.”

FIRST LOOK — Speaker Pelosi defends stimulus, rips Republicans: “Here they go again … rehashing the same failed Bush policies” — Excerpts from prepared remarks for today’s DNC winter meeting: “Democrats are leading the fight for Main Street. Never again will Wall Street’s recklessness undermine Main Street’s progress. Never again will Wall Street be allowed to jeopardize the jobs, the pensions, the homes and the life savings of the American people. …The Recovery Act, which will mark its one-year anniversary on Feb. 17, helps advance — [a] The education of our children by hiring more teachers for our classrooms. [b] The safety of our neighborhoods by putting more police and firefighters in our communities. [c] The transformation of our economy through middle-class tax cuts. … Central to our fight to create jobs and strengthen our economy is our fight to reform health insurance. … This bill is about jobs — creating more than 4 million good-paying American jobs. … Standing together and working together, we will pass health insurance reform for the American people! … This week, the president sent his budget to Congress. Anyone who wants to know the difference between Democrats and Republicans need only look at their budgets. President Obama’s … provides a new foundation for economic growth. … The Republican budget: provides tax breaks for the wealthy, ends Medicare as we know it, privatizes Social Security. Here they go again, rehashing the same failed Bush policies. Imagine what would have happened if we let them put America’s retirement security at risk to the recklessness of Wall Street.”

POTUS POLITICAL TRAVEL/STIMULUS ANNIVERSARY — From Alex Burns’s “Morning Score,” a pre-6 a.m. tip sheet on the 2010 races: “Obama will appear at two Denver fundraising events for Sen. Michael Bennet on Feb. 18, the senator’s reelection campaign announced. Bennet has proved a very capable fundraiser — he brought in $1.1 million last quarter — but faces a primary against former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and a competitive general election. Obama’s appearances with Bennet are scheduled almost a year to the day after the president signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law in Denver, on Feb. 17, 2009. That places him back in Colorado’s capital just in time to check in on the anniversary of the stimulus.”

ROBERT GIBBS’S BRIEFING yesterday, following Wednesday’s podium debut by Bill Burton: Q: “We want Bill! We want Bill! Bill! Bill!” MR. GIBBS: “Hey, I'm all for it, man. (Laughter.) I've got a couple margaritas getting warm right now anyway, so I'm happy to … ” Q: “That's how you prep? That's how you do it?” MR. GIBBS: “Yes, actually — same as you guys, right? … That's just a joke, Mom. We're not doing that at work. All right, so, take us away. Sorry.”

POPPING ONLINE (Andy Barr homage):

HuffPost banner, “MR. ROADBLOCK: Sen. Shelby Blocks ALL Obama Nominations Over Alabama Earmarks” — links to TPM: “Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has put an extraordinary 'blanket hold' on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate, according to multiple reports this evening. The hold means no nominations can move forward unless Senate Democrats can secure a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until Shelby lifts the hold.”

Daily Caller banner, “Struck Down: Feds Refuse to Explain How Agent Injured Daily Caller Writer,” by Tucker Carlson and Jon Ward: “The State Department has refused to answer basic questions about an accident that took place in Washington on Wednesday night, in which a U.S. Diplomatic Security Service vehicle struck Daily Caller employee Sean Medlock as he was crossing the street. An agent in the vehicle, Mike McGuinn, did not identify himself to Medlock at the scene, or apologize for running him down. Indeed, Washington, D.C., police drove to a local emergency room to serve Medlock with a jaywalking citation as he lay prostrate in a hospital bed, while a man who identified himself as a ‘special agent’ stood by watching and taking notes. Reached on his cell phone the following day by the Daily Caller, McGuinn refused to answer questions about the incident. ‘I’m a federal agent and I’m not allowed to talk to the media,’ McGuinn said, citing ‘liability.’ … According to Medlock, who writes under the name Jim Treacher, he was struck at about 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, while crossing M Street in downtown Washington. Medlock says he was walking within the bounds of the crosswalk, toward a blinking white signal, when a government SUV suddenly turned left and plowed into him, knocking him to the ground.”

ALSO DRIVING THE CONVERSATION, by Tim Alberta:

Times of London, “US Baptists Charged With Haiti Child Abduction Face 15 Years in Jail,” by Will Pavia: “Ten American missionaries arrested as they tried to take 33 Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic were charged last night with child abduction and criminal conspiracy. The Baptists from Idaho, who claimed to be rescuing orphaned children from the chaos that followed the earthquake in Haiti, appeared at a hearing in Port-au-Prince where they were told that there was sufficient evidence to charge them and that their case was being sent to an investigative judge. ... Edwin Coq, the lawyer representing the group, said afterwards that there would not be an open trial. He said that a judge would consider the evidence and could deliver a verdict in about three months. Kidnapping in Haiti carries a possible jail sentence of five to 15 years in jail, criminal association could entail a sentence of three to nine years. Arriving at the court from the judicial police headquarters where they have been detained in cells for the past week, Laura Silsby, the leader of the group, told reporters: ‘We expect God’s will to be done. And we will be released.’ Ms Silsby had founded a group that wanted to found an orphanage for Haitian children in November. After the earthquake she and her colleagues became convinced that they needed to act immediately and leased a hotel in the Dominican Republic where the children would stay while they worked to establish an orphanage. Working through Haitian intermediaries and with the advice of Jean Sainvil, a Haitian-born pastor now living in America, they gathered 33 children, loaded them onto a bus and proceeded to the border. They did not have the Government approval required to take children out of the country, nor did the children have passports.”

NYT A1, “Lobbying Imperils Overhaul of Student Loans,” by Eric Lichtblau: “Four months ago, it appeared all but certain that the White House and Democrats in Congress would succeed in overhauling the student loan business and ending government subsidies to private lenders. ... But an aggressive lobbying campaign by the nation’s biggest student lenders has now put one of the White House’s signature plans in peril, with lenders using sit-downs with lawmakers, town-hall-style meetings and petition drives to plead their case and stay in business. House and Senate aides say that the administration’s plan faces a far tougher fight than it did last fall, when the House passed its version. The fierce attacks from the lending industry, the Massachusetts election that cost the Democrats their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and the fight over a health care bill have all damaged the chances for the student loan measure, said the aides ... But they said the administration had recognized the threat and was beginning to push back in an effort to get the plan approved.”

WSJ A1, “Ex-BofA Chief Sued for Fraud,” by Dan Fitzpatrick and Kara Scannell: “Former Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Kenneth D. Lewis and the company's current consumer-banking chief were accused in a civil complaint of duping investors by failing to disclose mounting losses at Merrill Lynch & Co. before shareholders approved the securities firm's takeover by the giant bank. The New York attorney general's allegations Thursday came as the Securities and Exchange Commission said it reached a $150 million settlement of a federal suit alleging that the Charlotte, N.C., company misled investors about the Merrill deal.”

WaPo A1, “U.S. Commanders Face New Scrutiny,” by Greg Jaffe: “The U.S. military has reprimanded an unusually large number of commanders for battlefield failures in Afghanistan in recent weeks, reflecting a new push by the top brass to hold commanders responsible for major incidents in which troops are killed or wounded, said senior military officials. The military does not release figures on disciplinary actions taken against field commanders. But officials familiar with recent investigations said letters of reprimand or other disciplinary action have been recommended for officers involved in three ambushes in which U.S. troops battled Taliban forces in remote villages in 2008 and 2009. Such administrative actions can scuttle chances for promotion and end a career if they are made part of an officer's permanent personnel file. The investigations are a departure for the U.S. military, which until recently has been reluctant to second-guess commanders whose decisions might have played a role in the deaths of soldiers in enemy action. Disciplinary action has been more common in cases in which U.S. troops have injured or killed civilians. … As many as five battlefield commanders have received letters of reprimand in the past month or have been the subject of an investigation by a general who recommended disciplinary action. A sixth commander received a less-severe formal letter of admonishment. None of the investigations or letters of reprimand has been released publicly.”

BBC, “Bombings Hit Iraq Shia Pilgrims in Karbala”: “Two suicide bombers have killed at least 10 people and injured 25 in the outskirts of Karbala in Iraq, reports from Iraqi police say. One report, quoting the city's governor, says that 27 people died. Approximately a million Shia Muslim pilgrims are in the city to visit the Imam Hussein shrine at the end of a Arbaeen commemorations.”

MEDIA WATCH — WashPost Style section front, “Rival Station Makes a Play for WRC’s Bob Ryan,” by Paul Farhi: “Bob Ryan, the most-watched television weather forecaster in Washington and a fixture at WRC (Channel 4) for nearly 30 years, is considering leaving the station and jumping to rival WJLA, people familiar with the discussions said Thursday. Ryan, 67 [father of ABC News producer Jason Ryan], has held talks in recent weeks with WJLA, known as ABC 7, about teaming with its veteran meteorologist, Doug Hill, on its evening newscasts. Under one scenario, Hill would continue to handle the weather segments on the 5 and 6 p.m. news, and Ryan would take over the 11 p.m. broadcast, giving ABC 7 a ‘dream team’ of well-known local forecasters. [POLITICO, like ABC 7, is owned by Allbritton Communications Co. POLITICO and ABC 7 share a vast newsroom in Rosslyn (Arlington), in the former USA Today tower.] Channel 7 hasn't completed a deal with Ryan yet, and negotiations could fall through, the sources emphasized. But with Ryan's contract expiring in early March, he would be free to change stations after NBC's telecast of the Winter Olympics this month. … The loss of Ryan would be a huge blow to WRC and a dramatic coup for WJLA. Ryan, along with co-anchors Doreen Gentzler and Jim Vance and late sportscaster George Michael, was part of the team that has made NBC 4 a ratings powerhouse for much of the past two decades. …

“Ryan has seen his presence diminish on WRC's Web site. Under orders from NBC in New York, the station has been using weather data from NBC-owned Weather.com, cutting out the local connection to its marquee weather anchor. Adding Ryan to its roster could enable WJLA to overtake WRC in local news ratings. The station has typically finished second to WRC in the evening news race but hasn't been able to close the gap for several years. Hiring Ryan would also fit WJLA's pattern of recruiting popular journalists from other local stations. Its co-anchors at 6 p.m., Gordon Peterson and Maureen Bunyan, were longtime anchors at WUSA (Channel 9) before they were lured away. WJLA also hired entertainment reporter Arch Campbell after WRC cut him loose. And Hill was WUSA's weatherman before he joined ABC 7 in 2000. What's more, Ryan would probably be a good fit with a new local-news venture that WJLA's owner, Arlington County-based Allbritton Communications, is planning. The company intends to fold resources from its local cable news operation, NewsChannel 8, … into an all-local Web site and TV channel later this year. The venture, which is under the direction of former Washingtonpost.com editor Jim Brady, is expected to have a major local-weather component. Hill and Ryan would conceivably add brand-name appeal.”

SPORTS BLINK — Tim Tebow closing prayer at National Prayer Breakfast: “Thank you for bringing together so many people that have a platform to influence people for you. … Lord, let us come together as one and break down all the barriers in between us that separates us. Lord, you came to seek and to save that which was lost, and we thank you for that. Lord we don't know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. … We pray for the people in Haiti right now, Lord, that you make them perfect and complete because you love them and you have a plan for their lives, just like you do with our lives right now. So my prayer is, as we leave today, we are united as one because of you. We love you and thank you.” [Applause.] YouTube

** A message from the Catfish Farmers of America: What happens at U.S. ports is shocking. Only 2 percent of the 5.2 billion pounds of seafood imported into America is inspected by the FDA. The U.S. Congress voted in 2008 for more protections for the American consumer by moving inspection of ALL catfish — imported and domestic — from the FDA to the USDA, with its tougher safety and inspections standards that are recognized worldwide. We’re still waiting for the government to enact those protections. We don’t believe trading safety for commerce is ever a bargain. Learn more at WWW.USCATFISH.COM Catfish Farmers of America **